Global health subjects traditionally focus on topics...diseases, problems, health systems

But working in global health is about working with a broad range of people who may come from diverse social, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, that might be very different from our own. We are not just working with the children, we are working with parents, other familial supports, and diverse communities.

What does this have to do with our professional learning? What difference does it make? Why can't we treat everyone the same?

It matters because everyone is not the same, because identity matters, our social, cultural and linguistic identity are part of our view of the world and if we cannot share and understand those different perspectives, we are going to miss out on a lot more in our global work.

If we consider the social and communicative aspects alongside our professional responsibilities, what issues might arise in working effectively with people who are different to ourselves? What should we be aware of to avoid miscommunication, mixed messages, loss of trust due to misunderstandings, or good intentions gone wrong?

Our ecology of resources and activities

Dual synchronous learning involving pre- and post-class activities (flipped learning), with consideration for access and connectivity being an explicit pre-requisite.

The usual suspects...Canvas for course structure and delivery, Zoom for bringing people together on and off site. Presentations (Acquisition and Inquiry) via Adobe or Padlet with shared resources and an evidence base (ResearchGate).

Live project-based work between students working at different times/in can be facilitated by online collaborative platforms depending on learner preference (Whatsapp).

Building on constructivist theory: Peer conversations (Zoom) and use of shared documents to record and share discussions (via OneDrive or Padlet), projects to question, learn and solve together (Discussion and Collaboration) and social media to document and further collaborate and share findings (Production).

And authentic learning: Opportunities for further collaboration with culturally and linguistically diverse others in different contexts (Social Constructivism) to share and build on expertise and understanding (social media, chat functions, problem posing) with mutual benefits for all participants.

Possibilities

Immersive (AR/VR) scenarios to provide safe access to socio-cultural scenarios to explore. (Practice)

• A ward round where there are language/socio-cultural barriers
• A clinical encounter with a translator
• A hospital (or other environment) where the learner does not understand the language or cultural expectations

What about working collaboratively with a professional team in a different context, to jointly produce such VR scenarios so that we can develop contextualised resources to share? For the purpose of not just noting what is different, but to notice what is the same, and what it is in your own context that you may not recognise as being culturally specific?

Some examples

“The use of VR and specifically 360° video or ‘cinematic VR’ provides a mechanism for immersing our end-users in a different time and place. In this case, we allow students to observe a given situation, then step into the role of one of the individuals involved. The first person perspective is further enhanced by freezing time and hearing the thoughts of your alternate self,” Cuales explains. “The resulting experience gives students a sense of presence and being (visually and audibly) that differs from traditional media forms.” (Stepneski, K., 2017)

In the VR-simulated training, students experienced virtual interaction with people from a different cultural backgrounds [and] realized as a result of the challenging nature of these interactions that their actual skill level was less well-developed than they previously judged it to be. VR simulations designed for intercultural outcomes should therefore not rely on the immersive experience of the simulation alone to stimulate learning but must embed opportunities for reflection throughout and following the training (Akdere M. et al, 2021)

AR/VR gives us an opportunity to immerse ourselves 'safely' in different scenarios, providing opportunities for engaging and autonomous learning with increased resolution, safety, and at a reduced cost to previous 'immersive' experiences. The proviso given is that learners should reflect on their learning goals and motivations for engaging, and afterward they should be encouraged to connect their takeaways from the simulation to their past experiences and future plans, thereby utilising these tools to their full benefit (Akdere M. et al, 2021).

Key points: IR/VR as tools for immersion; safety; limiting travel/expense; simulation; observation; virtual interaction; reflection; application; practice.